Leaderboard

I hate to do it. This old girl was my father-in-laws ride and has been my reliable mountain car forever. However my mechanic suspects I may have a head gasket problem, I overheated the car (once) and now don't have the time to repair/restore. She's dark green, gray below.NO rust- all sheet metal in very good condtion. Grey leather interior with no damage, tears, or stains- everything works. Last summer- new breaks, new struts. Windshield is 2 years old. She starts and runs quietly- no valve noise. Tires are OK, wheels have some typical pitting but are not bent. Clear title. The car is located in Lakewood, CO. No photo at the moment- I'm working out of state.

Hi This is Me, a couple of years ago (2018), finishing the last Special stage of the 2018 ISDE, held in Chile. That day was Miserably hot. The relief is Cristal clear.

>>>for now...soon enough you'll be a turbo expert, too. Edit: I'm NOT a turbo expert...just in case that wasn't clear.

Aluminum or aluminium is cast using sand/glue casts. Due to the rapid change of temperatures there minor cracks at the liquid aluminum and sand interface. Once the sand or mold is stripped away you see these little burs. Some brands polish them away, others leave them. You can see on machined parts (32222 written photo) there are no cracks in the aluminum where the top is machined off. There are also other marks on the engine that shows how often the master cast is used, usually a grid with dots. Manufacturers have learned how many times a master can used. Also during the master sand mold pressing step some sand from the previous mold preparation can stick onto the master, this leaving some 'extra' sand for the next mold. All these steps result in these small cosmetic lines. If you are willing to spend loads of time you can remove them. (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJkwUVSpNPw)

Mostly wanted to just update anybody interested on my 83 Brat project. I just got it painted and some of the trim back on. I originally wanted a tan cream color rather than the factory "Harvest Beige" but made a last minute impulse decision to go with more of a yellow/buttermilk color. It's kind of growing on me because it catches the eye, isn't *too* flashy, and most folks think it might be a stock color. Obviously I am not restoring it to factory original, I'm going for a daily driver that will last a while. I completely and literally scrubbed the under body, hosed it down with Rust Mort, and them covered it with truck bed liner. The bottom lips on the rocker panels were pretty beat up so I welded some angle iron to strengthen them. There were a few serious rust issues on the body but I was able to deal with them and seal both sides of the metal so I think it will last a while. Oh, and it started out in life as an automatic but I put in a 4MT dual range. It just seems wrong to have an automatic Brat, and the original transmission had issues anyway. The previous owner was kind enough to rebuild the engine but the carburetor crapped out so I put on a weber. The plan is to tow it behind my RV, so if you see a buttermilk Brat rolling down the highway behind an RV it's probably me. The next thing to do is to refurbish the bumpers and other exterior plastic trim, and I'm debating just cleaning them up good and clear coating them or else actually painting them black with the super duper SEM stuff. One big thing I am missing is the tail gate trim, and I'm going to use aluminum door threshold (M-D Building products low dome 49") as a base for that. I've also dug up some part numbers that I think would be useful in one place: 791017090 - Large side trim clips. (Obtainable and fit) 791017130 - Normal bed trim clips. (Obtainable and fit) 791017200 - Corner bed trim clips. (Unobtainable, I rigged something from plastic push rivets) 759114020 - Fender liner clips. (Haven't tried them yet) 901120005 - Fender liner bolts. (Haven't tried them yet) After that I should probably do something about the interior but I'm honestly not feeling it. The interior is definitely showing it's age but if I can't restore all of the interior I'm inclined not to do any of it. Then there are some other odds and ends, like the previous owner removed the computer so (among other things) there is a currently a button for the starter on the dash. Finally, there are a few parts I would really like to get my hands on and I was hoping somebody could either guide me towards a part number or source: There are two round holes on the sides hidden by the rear bumper that need plugs. I only have one original plug. There are some rubber grommets (I guess you call them) that go around the rear bumper mount arms to mostly plug the gap. The are sort of squarish, about 2 inches across. I only have one original grommet. There are some rubber bumpers for the tailgate when it is closed. They are short thin rubber, sort of like weather stripping. I only have one of those. There is some rubber that goes on the tailgate supports where it hinges, I assume to keep them from vibrating. They come in two pieces and I need two sets. Also the rubber on the outside edges of the T-tops are a bit chewed up, so if anybody has any ideas what can be done about that I would appreciate it.

others will have better advice, just chiming in to say a coupla things; about the only item not on your list that I MIGHT consider would be a crank angle sensor - just because of easy access I guess..... you will want to be diligent about the torque converter not shifting outwards of course. and for JDM, you will need to extend the brake booster's connection - probably a length of hose, some short piece of tubing to connect and a coupla hose clamps.